Often fish can be caught easily by artificial lures that resemble the live creatures upon which the fish feed. Small snakes are eaten by many species of fish but are almost impossible to obtain as live bait. Also, fish are believed to sometimes attack snakes as the result of a conditioned reflex to protect their territory. Prior artificial baits that were intended to resemble snakes were not often successful because as they were retrieved through the water their action was not similar enough to that of a snake.